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EP056

E-Poster

Preoperative Halo Gravity Traction for The Management of Severe Paediatric Spinal Deformity

Deepak Kaucha, Rajesh

Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for disabled children (HRDC)

Severe spinal deformity are rigid and usually associated cardiopulmonary impairment, results in significant increase in perioperative morbidity and mortality. Due to the lack of awareness and low socioeconomical status, many of the patient with spinal deformity are neglected and present late with severe deformity at our centre. This study aims to assess the efficacy and contribution of halo-gravity traction use preoperatively for the correction of severe neglected spinal deformity. Fifteen patients with severe spinal deformity treated with halo gravity traction prior to the corrective surgery from January 2024 to December 2025 were reviewed. Demographic and radiological data were collected from the hospital medical records and PACS respectively. Halo gravity traction was applied under local anaesthesia (lignocaine). The weight applied from next day then increased gradually. X- ray cervical spine and the site of deformity was repeated every week till conversion. Of Fifteen patients, 9 were male and 6 was female. 14 underwent surgical correction of deformity and one denied the surgery and left after the 8 weeks of application of halo gravity traction. Average duration of halo gravity traction applied was 46 days. 7 patients were neuromuscular kyphoscoliosis and 5 were post infective kyphosis, 2 congenital kyphoscoliosis and 1 was neglected juvenile idiopathic scoliosis. Mean of preoperative cobb’s angle of scoliosis is 127degrees while that of kyphosis is 111 degrees. There was not much correction on both sagittal and coronal deformity even after the 6 weeks of halo gravity traction, however, deformity was significantly corrected without intra and postoperative complication by surgical correction. Two patients had urinary retention at presentation and improve on 2-3 weeks of halo gravity traction, and 8 patients had mild dorsal myelopathy at presentation, which did not improve with halogravity traction however all the patients improve to ASIA E after surgical correction. Respiratory function was also improved after the halo gravity traction. Halo gravity traction helps to improve the cardiopulmonary and neurological status and provide the rehabilitation to the neural structure to restrain the acute correction of deformity decreasing the perioperative complication Key words: Halogravity Traction, Severe Spinal Deformity, Surgical correction of Deformity

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